Showing posts with label Silk Straw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Silk Straw. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

How to Store Straw Silk

The Stitch Ladi on Instagram has a good idea for storing Straw Silk but this will work for many types of threads.

I would caution you to not use this if you routinely use long lengths of thread for darning stitch backgrounds or stitches that use a good foot of thread.  You'll find yourself constantly running out of thread.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 24, 2026 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

August 2025 NJNA Newsletter

ANG's New Jersey Needle Artist chapter has posted their regular newsletter.  It's full of ANG local and national news with the ANG Seminar coming up very soon.  The most important thing is a quick update on Tony Minieri's health, but there are new designs showcased, a look at Sudbury's little octagonal box which is self-finishing, new totes from Rittenhouse, thread news (Silk Straw is getting hard to find), and a needlepoint "Advent" calendar of sorts, plus a retreat and a good thread tip.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 10, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 10, 2025

Thread Exploring at Waste Knot

Lori at Waste Knot* is Instagramming about the various threads the shop carries.  It's a great way to explore various threads that are available for needlepoint, especially if you don't have a shop of your own where you can see thread options in person.

First up, size 3 perle cotton--

Secondly, size 5 perle cotton--

The third thread is Planet Earth's Essentials, a strand of silk/wool perfect for 18 count that comes on 10 yard cards.

Now Lori shows you Vineyard Merino Wool.

Followed by Vineyard Silk.  Both are lovely threads, by the way.

Lori likes Pepper Pot for 18 count but I do find it a little thick for 18 count.  If you have tight tension, you will love it on 18.

Next is Kreinik.  Lori has all the sizes and explains how/where to use them here--

Silk Road Fiber's Straw Silk comes in a huge array of colors.


Planet Earth Silk is a thicker silk for 13 count.  Very pretty colors.

Lori's right, Gloriana's 12 ply silk has the prettiest colors available. 

Lori shows off Silk n Ivory, which isn't the most wearable silk/wool blend, but it's very pretty and perfect for 13 count.

Next up is Soie d'Alger, a French 7 ply silk in beautiful colors.

Lori carries a lot of Impressions, my favorite wool/silk blend.

Boucle is a fun thread for curls, bushes and more.

Next Lori shows off Glisten, a wool with a sparkle filament woven in. It's not as shiny as Silk Lame Braid but gives a very nice subtle gleam.  Lori uses one strand on 18 count.

Floche (from DMC) is the next thread Lori shows off.  It's cotton and comes on big skeins, making it perfect for backgrounds.  It's got a nice subtle sheen to it. 

Lori has tips for when you use Very Velvet and Petite Very Velvet.

Here are the two weights of Very Velvet.

Next up is Silk Lame Petite, one of my favorites.

Silk Lame comes in four sizes now.

Entice is similar to Silk Lame but is rayon for the base thread.

Lori has some good tips for dealing with the kinks in Neon Rays that appear after it's wound around the Rainbow Gallery card.

The next thread Waste Knot carries is Caron's Watercolours, a favorite of counted thread designers.  Lori doesn't mention the drastic color changes you can get between dye lots of these cotton overdyes; it's wise to buy plenty for your project if you are using it in a large area.

With the holidays coming, Lori goes fun with Fuzzy Stuff.

ThreadworX's overdyed cotton floss is a particular favorite of mine.

Bella Lusso wool is quite pretty and easy to stitch with.

Burmilana is another fav.  Great animal fur!

Gentle Arts' Sampler Threads have lovely muted colors.  This is an overdyed cotton floss that is popular with sampler repo stitches because of the faded look you get.  Perfect for animals!

River Silks silk ribbon is lovely to work with, comes in a variety of widths and colors, and is tough as nails!

Another ribbon-like thread is Rainbow Gallery's Sparkle Rays (also available in Petite Sparkle Rays).  You get a bit of sparkle and some pretty pastel colors, plus a really white white.

Like Lori, I think Alpaca 18 is too thick for 18 count but it has some fabulous animal coat colors and might make great hair for people.

Today Lori's talking Flair, aka Barbie's Panty Hose.  This versatile thread is a delight although you might not like how the cut end unravels.  This is why God invented the Thread Zapper, folks.

I like Frosty Rays.  The colors are like sugar coated candy!  Note that Lori only carries the Petite size.

Next is Fyre Werks.  This Rainbow Gallery 1/16 inch ribbon is a quite shiny metallic.  A laying tool will help it stay flat.

Lori goes over overdyed threads carried at Waste Knot:  Gloriana silk, Gentle Arts' Sampler and Shaker  cotton threads, ThreadworX cotton, Tilli Thomas Planet Earth Pepper Pot overdye, and Caron's three ply cotton Watercolours.

Lori now stocks the new Radiance metallic in size 18.

Lori talks very briefly about Au Ver a Soie's metallic, which she stocks in sizes 12 and 16.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 16, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Breaking News: Straw Silk Color Palettes

Silk Road Fibers has collaborated with Needlepoint Clubhouse to introduce Straw Silk palettes of five shades of colors.  Currently there are blues, pinks, greens, reds and a set of neon bright colors.  (More are coming.). These are different colors than what are in their regular line of Straw Silk and all five on a card coordinate.  The five card colors are each half the size of the regular skein (6 yards in each color of the five color set versus 11+ yards in the regular skein) .  These are brand new and just now arriving in the shops.

If you aren't familiar with Straw Silk, this Needlepoint.com video is a good introduction.

The Silk Road Fibers website shows all 102 of the regular colors if you want to browse.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 10, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

How to Stitch with Straw Silk: The Movie

Needlepoint.com's latest little video is about using Straw Silk.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/all-about-straw-silk-fibers

It's pretty basic information so I'll just add that Straw Silk can be split right down the middle if you want to use it for tent stitches on 18 count.  It is very similar to The Thread Gatherer's Sea Grass (link below) except Straw Silk has more of a sheen and it is a tad wider than Sea Grass which looks more like the paper used to weave baskets.
https://threadgatherer.com/collections/sea-grass

Both threads make fantastic leaves and tree bark, realistic woven baskets, and fun decorative stitches for borders.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 26, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 29, 2017

The Needlepointer Has a New Home

The Needlepointer has moved from Everett, Washington to Edmonds, Washington.  Their new address is 22811 100th Ave West, Edmonds, WA 98020 and their phone numbers are (425) 252-2277 or (888) 252-9733.  Here's wishing them great success in the new location.

They are now open Monday through Friday from 10 - 6 and on Saturdays from 10 - 4.  They are closed Sundays.  Of course their online store is open 24/7. 
https://www.theneedlepointer.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 28, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Breaking News: Silk Road Fibers has a Website

Look! There's a new website for Silk Road Fibers! If you want to see the Straw Silk colors now available in this interesting cross between ribbon and thread, now you can browse to your heart's content.
http://silkroadfiber.com

The newest colors are shown on the home page.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 9, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.